The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2015, and October 31, 2016 (see FAQ for exceptions), are automatically nominated for the 2016 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on November 3, 2016, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

In
Fuller and Baijnath’s debut graphic-novel reimagining of L. Frank Baum’s
classic, Dorothy returns to an Oz corrupted by evil in a tale of bloody
retribution.

Dorothy
Gale returns home to find Uncle Henry and Aunt Em dead, their hearts cut from
their chests. She clicks her silver shoes together, grabs an ax, and rides a
tornado back to the landof Oz for
vengeance. But something’s terribly wrong in Oz: the Munchkins have turned into
vicious creatures with sharp teeth, and Dorothy’s friends, including the Tin
Man, aren’t quite as genial as they once were. It seems that Glinda the Good
Witch, who’s taken over the Emerald Throne, is no longer good and has allowed
Oz to fall into ruin. Dorothy, the self-proclaimed “Witchkiller,” follows the
yellow brick road to stop Glinda’s reign and find her loved ones’ murderer. Writer
Fuller and artist Baijnath’s collaboration is unquestionably adult, opening
with cops at a bloody crime scene. The bare-bones story focuses mostly on
Dorothy’s revenge, leading to pages of nothing but action; Dorothy’s fighting
off aggressive Munchkins (who literally munch) is essentially a massacre.
Fuller, however, does ensure that readers see recognizable faces, including the
Wizard, as well as unexpected consequences of Dorothy’s first visit, like the
Cowardly Lion’s no longer having fear and becoming a beast. Baijnath’s bold
artwork is impressive: images are full of atmospheric swirls, including the
incessantly curving yellow brick road, as if characters are caught inside a cyclone.
There are also plenty of flying body parts and loads of blood, so much that
Dorothy’s silver shoes resemble the more popular shade of ruby. But Baijnath’s
best visuals are the story’s calmer moments, as in the unmistakable elegance of
Dorothy’s wordlessly trekking through the rain in a desolate Oz and approaching
the blinding light of the Bright City. The writer and author take the story
seriously, none of it tongue-in-cheek. Still, it’s hard not to smile when
Dorothy declares, “I will not leave until the yellow brick road runs red with
the blood of my enemies.”

An
assertive, endearingly deranged take on the well-known tale from a writer-artist
duo readers will want to keep their eyes on.

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